News
Veneers can be exported, despite unfinished wood product ban: Govt spokesman

The government has agreed in principle to allow the export of veneers, despite recently imposing a ban on the export of all unfinished wood products, government spokesman Dr Chaleun Yiapaoher has said. Speaking at a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Office on 15 July, the ...
Romduol, Chansensor now rice brands

The National Standards Council has endorsed the Phka Romduol and Phka Chansensor varieties to be the Kingdom’s own umbrella brands for fragrant and premium rice, rejecting the Cambodian Rice Federation’s “Angkor Malis” brand name. Hean Vanhan, deputy chairman of NSC and deputy general director of the ...
Will Vietnam restructure the central bank?

For the last ten years, the State Bank of Vietnam has said it would restructure its operations. The government has instructed SBV to continue the plan on restructuring the banking system in 2016-2020. But the restructuring has not been implemented, though SBV once drew up a ...
China sets aside $30 million for weather modification program

China has allocated $29.76 million to spend on its weather modification program as part of efforts to combat drought and reduce the impact of natural disasters, the finance ministry said on 14 July, as state media reported flooding this year caused at least 237 deaths. The ...
Asia-Pacific air fares to fall

Air fares in Asia-Pacific are expected to fall by 1.1% next year against a 2.5% rise in global rates seen in the period. The most significant drops in the region are expected to take place in Japan and Singapore, by 2.8% and 5.5%, respectively, given ...
ASEAN nations agree to partner in agri-food development
ASEAN agriculture experts plan to work together towards the sustainable development of the food and agriculture sectors after holding talks on the issue. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s Director General of the Agriculture Department, Mr Vilaysouk Khennavong, said “the sustainable development of the food and ...
Money concerns over check on mine
The probe into the origin of toxic contamination in areas near the Akara Resources gold mine may be delayed due to financial problems and difficulty in getting all partners to accept a restoration process. Four ministries – Industry, Public Health, Natural Resources and Environment, and ...
Cement suppliers all set for Laos-China railway

Senior officials have advised the Lao Vangvieng Cement Plant to produce sufficient supplies of cement in preparation for construction of the Laos-China railway. Vangvieng Cement Plant Deputy Director, Mr Chanthay Vongnakhone, told the press on 16 July that their three plants at Vangvieng were quite capable of ...
ASEAN energy officials set sights on regional power grid
Energy officials will seek to better connect ASEAN members’ electricity grids into a regional energy network over the next five years to better utilise the countries’ respective strengths and weaknesses in power generation, it was announced at a meeting of the bloc in Myanmar’s capital ...
MATA calls for investigation into Shan State coal mine
A civil society alliance has asked the Shan State government to investigate a coal mine in Namsan township, after farmers claimed their land was confiscated by force without explanation. Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability has asked the state government whether the mine has been approved ...